February112015

10:20

“Equality before the law is key to any democracy. Here’s where [the idea that different laws apply in the digital than in the physical sphere] is problematic. It claims a different, more liberal ruleset for skilled, tech-savvy people.

[It] has created an environment where the idea of government and with it often the ideas of democracy have been put up for debate to be replaced with … well … not much: Software that skilled people can use to defend themselves against other skilled people who might have even better software.”

October112014

23:27

“We [nerds/hackers] are still behaving like the rebel alliance, but now we’re the Empire. ...[Our] deeply-rooted tolerance of terrible behavior [is] driv[ing] people away. ...Our ingrained sense of victimization has become a perverse justification for bullying. ...

Our toleration of asshole behavior must end, and it’s such an integral part of nerd culture that nuking the entire thing from orbit is the only way to be sure.”

September202014

18:30

“We now, for the first time ever, have the technology and resources necessary to make the world a great place for everyone. We can provide adequate food, housing, education, and healthcare for everyone, using only a fraction of our labor and resources. This means that we can put an end to wage-slavery. I don't have to work. I choose to work. And I believe that everyone deserves the same freedom I have. If done right, it's also economically superior, meaning that we will all have more wealth.

We often talk about how brilliant or visionary Steve Jobs was, but there are probably millions of people just as brilliant as he was. The difference is that they likely didn't grow up with great parents, amazing teachers, and an environment where innovation was the norm. Also they didn't live down the street from Steve Wozniak.

Economically, we don't need more jobs. We need more Steve Jobs. When we set everyone free, we enable the outliers everywhere. The result will be an unprecedented boom in human creativity and ingenuity.”

September162014

00:14

“Hacker meritocracy, like all “meritocracies,” reinscribes systems of oppression by victim-blaming those who aren’t allowed to succeed within it, or gain the skills it values. Hacker meritocracy casts non-technical skills as irrelevant, and punishes those who lack technical skills. Having “technical merit” becomes a requirement to defend oneself online.”

“Investor storytime is when someone pays you to tell them how rich they'll get when you finally put ads on your site. Most startups run on investor storytime. Think of it as perhaps the world's most targeted ad.”

September152014

11:07

“That [a butler service app] prevailed [in the TechCrunch Disrupt startup competition] in the face of such odds is a testament to unbridled capitalism the sharing economy, systemic inequality the Silicon Valley meritocracy, and the enduring power of the whims of a handful of self-regarding billionaires great ideas.”

August052014

“Can you imagine how awesome it would have been to be an entrepreneur in 2014? It was a wide-open frontier! ... Expectations and barriers were low. It was easy to be the first. Oh, if only we realized how possible everything was back then!””